The recession has made us rethink our fashion statements. been well pointed out that the downturn in the economy has to a great extent had a negative affect on the fashion industry. Although recessions occur once every 15-20 years, this recent one we’re experiencing is going to have a lasting impact on our whole of idea of fashion. We are living in a very pragmatic age these days. Not so long ago, that frivolousness and decadance were part and parcel of the fashion industry - nothing was too costly or too outrageous. - you only worried about being charged with being too dull. It’s different today though : the fashion labels and catwalks are getting a bad press. Even looking at the the more affordable brands, suddenly they’re admonished for manufacturing in foreign sweatshop factories. So what’s going wrong? Why is it that people turning against fashion labels ?
Firstly, fashion ain’t dead. As a matter of fact, looking on the web there is tough competition between online store retail merchants (e.g. looking for wholesale pashmina Shawls) - a sign there is still strong demand and supply. It’s the old way we saw that is dying - of being dictated to by the established brands. In reality, fashion has always looked at the public instead of vice versa, and nowadays many matters are stopping us buying from big labels. For a start, young people are very much more conscious of globalisation, and showing off your clothing labels makes you look selfish and inconsiderate in many peer groups today. Secondly, we’re hard up! Style has invariably been seen as something of a luxury, not an essential. In an economic downturn, non-essential items are the first to be left on the store shelves. Finally, people define themselves a lot more individually these days - peer groups are more tight-knit, the days of millions watching the same TV show are over, and fashion requires that sort of herd-like thinking to trade in numbers.
What is the future for fashion companies? As always, they must change to survive - create a larger range of fashion lines to supply to more corners of the market. If you’re a small shop selling individual clothing at a cheap cost, the future looks bright for you in spite of the grim economic days we are experiencing. These days, people are blending their styles, buying from markets and smaller, affordable fashion stores.
